Like the spider waiting patiently for her prey, the presence of this spirit animal in your life could point to the need to show patience regarding a project, or in regards to some new ideas that you are trying to realize. Giving some time while paying attention to how events are unfolding and acting when the opportunity truly arises might be a lesson of wisdom from the spider spirit animal.

Just like the spider weaves her beautifully engineered web, this spirit animal fosters the integration of all parts and aspects of your life into a whole. When the spider shows up in your life, this spirit animal could guide you to integrate some piece of your personal “puzzle” and gain a more coherent perspective on your life.

The spider is a spirit animal whose purpose is to inspire you to gain perspective on an issue or project you contemplate taking on. Feel free to explore the many facets of the problem you are facing in order to find the appropriate solution. The power of this animal encourages you to count on your ability to view things from multiple angles and weave mental and intuitive flexibility into your daily thinking.

If the spider shows up in your life, this spirit animal may remind you of negative aspects of your personality or your life that need to come to the light more fully. For many, spiders inspire fear or at least some form of aversion. As such, they tend to be associated with what psychologists would call “the shadow self”. In brief, your “shadow” or “shadow self” are aspects of your personality or your life that you or other people deem unworthy or not likeable and are therefore rejected or repressed.

The spider as a spirit animal does not typically take on these negative attributes. Nevertheless, its presence in your life might bring up negative feelings or unease. Whenever you feel your relationship with your power animal is characterized by tension, discomfort or fear, you can ask yourself where these feelings also appear in your life. Look for any association with your personal feelings, even if it indirectly leads you to other areas of your life, such as work, family, or a relationship for instance.

Here’s another question to ask to interpret the meaning of the spider spirit animal and the guidance it offers: What kind of relationship or connection did you or did you want to establish with this animal? Was the spider threatening or harmful? Did you kill or harm it? The answer will indicate the kind of dynamic that is shaping up between you and what the spider represents.

The symbolism of the spider in dreams is generally associated with the archetype of the feminine. If the spider appears in your dreams as a spirit animal guide or as your totem, pay attention to the messages it’s offering to you: They are likely related to an important direction you’re taking in your life.

When you dream of spiders, chances are that it refers to feminine energy in your life. This dream symbol could represent a woman you know, or your own connection with qualities usually considered as feminine, such as receptivity, patience, and creativity.

An important element to consider when you interpret the meaning of the encounter with the spider in your dream is the reaction and feelings you experienced at that time: Were you afraid, or rather intrigued or fascinated? Was the overall atmosphere of the dream scary and stressful, or enchanting and adventurous?

If you wanted to kill it, you might be repressing some feelings or trying to remove tension from your life. If it looked harmful or it was threatening to you, you may feel that some aspects of your personality or your life are not aligned with your highest interest, or that you or the people around you are rejecting them. The spider in a negative dream could symbolize your fears, or an adverse influence in your life.

Information for this post was gathered from www.spiritanimal.info. I have cleaned the text up and fixed several errors. The site looks very silly at first glance, but actually holds some clever insights in to totemic animal spirits.

Cast Wide the Circle: Place for my musings and the occasional book review.The Art of Stealing Fire : My Online Magical Journal
Big mountain, wide river
There's an ancient pull
These tree trunks, these stream beds
Leave our bellies full
They sing out I am going to stand my ground
You rise to me and I'll blow you down
I am going to stand my ground
You rise to me and I'll blow you down

In regards to the cultural sources for the information, this is from the same site.

Quote

Following the footsteps of many traditions from all around the world, this guide on spirit animals also adopts a contemporary perspective on the subject. Based on modern principles of psychology and intuitive work, its goal is to present information in a format that is easy to read for anyone curious about the world of spirit or power animals. At the same time, it also intends to convey the deeper, mystical, and spiritual meanings associated with the animals and our relationship to them as spirit guides and totems.

In many traditions, our relationship with the spirit of animals is a reminder that all life is sacred. From the dawn of times, humankind had a relationship with animals, not just in the physical realms, but also in the spiritual ones. Folklore, rituals, myths around the globe involve animals as part of a sacred experience, a special relationship we have with the world.

Spirit animals, also referred to as power animal or animal totems, are symbolic representations of our inner character and dynamics in our lives. As such, they carry multiple meanings that are often difficult to decipher. That’s why this guide is dedicated to providing a comprehensive, contemporary, and easy to understand presentation of spirit animals.

Yeah, I know that this sounds a bit like complete psychobabble, but I found the actual totemic information to be quite clever and well thought out. I saw links to several key cultures, but none of the associated superstition. The actual site it's from definitely looks rather 'fluffy', and I had to fix a few grammatical errors, but I like the completeness of the research that has been done into what each totem could mean.